This invention relates to semiconductor substrate processing.
A metal oxide field effect transistor (MOSFET) can be formed with a polysilicon gate electrode. A polysilicon gate electrode, defined by dry etching, can be used for the formation of self-aligned sources and drains. In use, polysilicon can undergo electron depletion, resulting in a reduction of effective gate thickness and of transistor speed. The polysilicon gate electrode can be removed after source and drain formation, and replaced by a metal electrode with desirable electrical characteristics. A polysilicon, not a metal, gate is formed initially, however, because it is difficult to etch metal with sufficient control of critical dimensions and with sufficient selectivity to an underlying gate oxide. Further, a metal gate electrode with a relatively low melting point would present difficulties during sidewall spacer formation, a high temperature process.
Removing the polysilicon electrode is challenging if a silicide process is used in forming the transistor, thereby resulting in the formation of a silicide layer on the top of the polysilicon electrode. Silicide is hard to etch, and it acts as a barrier to complete removal of polysilicon.